The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira Muse on the Inevitability of 'Richonne'

Season 6 of The Walking Dead brought pulse-pounding twists and turns – not to mention one heck of a hard-hitting cliffhanger … but none of the surprises seems to have polarized fans as much as the romance between Rick and Michonne.

Yes “Richonne” – as they they were named by fans – quickly sent TWD fans down a “love it” or “hate it” path when the two first kissed at the end of the season’s 10th episode. As for stars Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira themselves, they say the pairing was inevitable.

“It’s the most natural thing,” Lincoln says in an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview from the upcoming Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD release. “I kept thinking, ‘Of course – it’s been right in front of me all the time.’ “

“I think she’s probably been in love with Rich for a while,” Gurira explains, continuing that Michonne was “definitely cutting herself off from her heart.”

Both agree that the moment when Rick gives Michonne the mints signified a turning point for the pair: “He had a mission in his mind to take care of her need,” Gurira says. “That’s kind of that, ‘Oh my god that’s so sweet’ moment – but apocalypse-style.”

Adds Lincoln, “It felt like a grown-up relationship that was always meant to be.”

“I think it’s just a really lovely moment of these two great friends sort of looking at each other in a moment of going, ‘Oh …,’ ” she says. “It’s really, really sweet and really nice because we don’t get these moments often on The Walking Dead.”